How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life by Kurt Streeter. This beautiful article profiles Paul Lundy, a former facilities manager who walked away from a soul-crushing career in his mid-50s to apprentice under Bob Montgomery, a 92-year-old typewriter repairman in Bremerton, Washington. What could have been a simple human interest story becomes something deeper. It’s a meditation on mentorship, meaningful work, and the transfer of disappearing skills. The writing itself is exceptional. The piece was truly one of the most enjoyable things I’ve read recently — definitely worth your time.
Zeus Air 3-in-1 Power Case. I picked up the Zeus Air from Uncharted Supply Co. during Huckberry’s recent holiday sale. It’s a compact unit that works as a jump starter, air compressor, and power bank. It’s going in the back of my 4Runner as part of my “Things Every Man Should Keep In His Car” road kit. Be prepared!
An appearance on NPR’s Life Kit. I recently sat down with Marielle Segarra for an episode of NPR’s Life Kit, a podcast that offers practical, actionable advice on everything from health to parenting to money. Marielle asked me about a range of men’s health topics, including testosterone, beards, depression, social fitness, and powerpenia. It was a different experience being on the receiving end of the questions rather than asking them, and Marielle’s a sharp interviewer who knows how to draw out useful insights.
Winning: The Psychology of Competition by Stuart H. Walker. I found this book while browsing the stacks at the University of Tulsa library. Walker wrote it primarily for sailors and other athletes, but the insights about competition go beyond sports. To explain performance, he uses a psychological framework borrowed from transactional analysis in which each person has several identities at work inside them: the Child provides motivation and hunger; the Parent handles preparation and discipline; the Adult maintains mental toughness and clear decision-making under pressure. Walker argues that what competition means to you determines whether you win, lose, or stay stuck in the middle. His writing is direct and practical, built from years of competitive sailing and observing patterns in how people handle pressure. The principles apply whether you’re racing boats, negotiating deals, or just trying to perform well under stress.
On our Dying Breed newsletter, we published A Culture of Control vs. A Culture of Chance and Sunday Firesides: Keep in Touch.
Quote of the Week
Egotism is the anesthetic which nature gives us to deaden the pain of being a fool.
—Dr. Herbert Schofield
